Stem cell therapy, also known as regenerative medicine, promotes the repair response of diseased, dysfunctional or injured tissue using stem cells or their derivatives.
What Are Stem Cells?
Stem cells are the Master cells that create all other cells. This means that they create all of the healing cells in the body, but they are limited both in number and in the types and amount of other cells that they can create.
Stem cell treatment, by injecting extra stem cells into the body, provides a boost in the immune system that is needed to address the injuries caused by chronic conditions and diseases. There are many other factors as well, but these stem cells can sometimes remind the body that there is an injury that needs healing and provide the cells necessary to work on healing the body.
For all of these chronic and debilitating conditions, especially those of an autoimmune or degenerative nature, stem cell treatment alone does not provide a cure. However therapy can provide relief from aggravating symptoms and even reverse some of the symptoms, which is more than current conventional medicine can do.
The Four Types of Stem Cells
Stem cells are the foundation for every organ and tissue in our body. There are many different types of stem cells that come from different places in the body or are formed at different times in our lives. These include embryonic stem cells that exist only at the earliest stages of development and various types of tissue-specific (or adult) stem cells that appear during fetal development and remain in our bodies throughout life.
Embryonic stem cells. These stem cells come from embryos that are 3 to 5 days old. At this stage, an embryo is called a blastocyst and has about 150 cells.
These are pluripotent stem cells, meaning they can divide into more stem cells or can become any type of cell in the body. This versatility allows embryonic stem cells to be used to regenerate or repair diseased tissue and organs.
Tissue-specific stem cells (also referred to as somatic or adult stem cells) are more specialized than embryonic stem cells. Typically, these stem cells can generate different cell types for the specific tissue or organ in which they live.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) refer to cells isolated from stroma, the connective tissue that surrounds other tissues and organs. The first MSCs were discovered in the bone marrow and were shown to be capable of making bone, cartilage and fat cells. Since then, they have been grown from other tissues, such as fat, wharton’s jelly and cord blood.
Induced pluripotent stem cells. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells are cells that have been engineered in the lab by converting tissue-specific cells, such as skin cells, into cells that behave like embryonic stem cells.
Stem Cell Delivery Methods
Our specialists/doctors use various injection methods to deliver stem cells. Depending on each patient specific condition, one or multiple methods of delivery will be used during a standard treatment session in order to maximise safety and efficacy.
Sister Kay McNaught 